With recent precipitation in the Sierra Nevada and a lack of beta to be found, it was time to head south and get a gauge for how conditions are looking on the Eastside. Leaving late Thursday night with plans for an early start Friday Jeff Dostie and I didn’t get a chance to take in the beauty and current conditions of the 395 corridor on the trip down. However, the trailhead at Glacier Lodge (accessed via Big Pine) had snow, which meant we were going to be able to skin right from the car in the morning.
As we headed out our intended goal was to get high on the Sierra Crest, check, and hopefully sample what stacked up after last weeks system. We knew it would be thin for at least a few miles on our approach, but as the view above shows it’s always good to be touring on the Eastside. It’s been just as thin down here, or really even more so, than what we’ve had thus far in Tahoe. A few good turns were scored in October, and an exceptional day was had in November, but this was my first trip south to ski in 2012. With expectations low we headed up a few thousand vertical feet and took in a perfect vantage of the zone we planned to ski in for the day.
A gorgeous site it was, but upon close examination the snow was much lighter and drier than we had anticipated. Couple that with the recent winds and high elevation skiing wasn’t looking as good as we had hoped it would. There were turns to be had, but it didn’t seem like that was the best call for the day. It’s hard to see in the picture, but there were also several fractures we noticed on N-NE facing aprons underneath the Sierra Crest. These observations lined up with recent avalanche forecasts and should be taken into consideration for future travel as the winter continues. Here’s a brief blurb from the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center that while focused more on northern reaches was still applicable to the south:
“Observations from the Mammoth Basin and June Mountain areas report shallow snowpacks of around 3 feet above 10,000 ft. There is a 3 to 4 inch depth hoar layer that is reacting in snow pit stability tests. The depth hoar is moist below 9,000 ft where rain fell a week ago at the start of the four day storm. Above about 9,500 ft, depth hoar is dry and falls out of the snowpit. The grains are large and will likely persist for the rest of the winter- for however long the winter lasts. Extended column tests and compression tests done yesterday in the Mammoth Lakes Basin on north aspects at 10,200 ft and 10,400 ft had similar results to the tests done on June Mountain at 8700 ft on Wednesday. Fractures propagated across the entire column during the extended column tests and the slab collapsed on the depth hoar.Â
PRIMARY AVALANCHE PROBLEM
Large faceted snow grains at the base of the snowpack are reacting in snow stability tests. The slab above this persistent weak layer can be up to 3 feet thick but there are many rocks, fallen trees and logs that are anchoring the shallow snowpack. As you venture into steep terrain, be aware that whumpfing is a sign the snow is unstable and collapsing on the depth hoar. Remember, small avalanches are possible even during the LOW danger rating.”
That said, we had a perfect backup plan
and found close to 5k vertical feet worth of great skiing for the day. Our retreat pitch of skiing after the recon look to the Sierra Crest was completely blower powder. It was shallow, so we skied it cautiously, but the silky, smooth turns were worth the trip from Tahoe alone. Then again, the two couloirs we ended up skiing were really the highlights of the day and speak to where other good skiing should be found looking ahead.
The first couloir was a roughly 2200′ shot that showcased biteable, wind-pressed, superb north-facing snow for the duration of a line the was very reminiscent of the Pinner and Mini Pinner Couloirs out of the Convict Lake area. We were able to skin most of the line, using the self-belay technique for the steeper sections,
boot for a short distance,
and finish back on skins as the line opened up as a funnel near the top. The skiing was beautiful.
Fired up to get a stellar view of the High Sierra to the south, ski a little powder, and get this aesthetic line in really good conditions we figured we’d have to check this other close-out line since its walls looked so inviting.
In one section the couloir was about 7-8 feet wide.
It was like a mini Terminal Cancer, but with higher walls.
We both had a blast arcing turns down this gem with precision tight turns and perfect couloir snow.
With three great lines under our belt we skied out to the car and started the trip back to Tahoe scoping the 395 corridor, running out of light just past Lee Vining. While the Southern Sierra is a bit thinner than the north, several north facing gullies and a few other obscure lines are holding decent amounts of snow. The Bishop region looked solid, especially the main Wahoo Couloir, Basin, and Mt. Tom. All looked as though they had enough snow to give them a go, as did Little Morrison and the Bloody Couloir. Â There’s not a ton of snow down south and there are many classics and other lines that were not looking very worthy as far as skiability goes, but that’s not the point. The point is there are more than a few peaks and lines looking worthy for a trip to the Eastside if you’re feeling it, so make the most of what’s available, be safe, and have at it!Â